A Visit to the Golden Ages
by Cosette 24601
Summary: In order to help Caspian feel confident in his abilities to lead Narnia, Aslan allows him to travel back in time to the Golden Ages. However, Caspian starts really questioning if it was a good idea when he gets himself into trouble almost instantly. And his pursuit of Susan certainly isn't gaining him any favors with her siblings.
1. A Trip Back in Time

**With all the raining and flooding going on in the LA area, everything fun is canceled (especially the beach trip I was invited to) and there's nothing to do (other than get ahead in homework...hahaha yeah right) so that means lots of writing! I worked on all the stories I am currently working on and still was bored, so here's a new fic! I have some ideas for what will happen, but leave reviews if you have ideas!**

**This is a mix of book and movie verse. Of course it happens during some random time during the Golden Ages which isn't covered by either, so it doesn't really matter too much. **

**Disclaimer: If you think I might actually own Narnia, you probably need to get your head examined. **

"I do not think I am ready," Caspian told Aslan, his shame from past events still weighing on him.

"It is for that reason you are," Aslan said.

Caspian shook his head, still unsure of himself. "Is there any way to… to give me more time?"

"You are in fact ready, and yet, it would not do any good for you to doubt yourself so much. I cannot change the date of your coronation, but I can allow you to spend time in another time period. And grow there," Aslan said. "What time would you like to live during?"

"Is… is there any chance I can go to their world?" Caspian asked timidly, gesturing towards the Pevensies.

"Nay, son. It would not do you any good to be there. But you can spend time with them during the Golden Ages if you wish," Aslan said fondly.

"Then that is the time I want to visit," Caspian said eagerly, before nervously glancing at Peter. Peter smiled, making Caspian feel more confident that he would in fact be wanted in the Golden Ages.

"Then I will send you there. You must not tell anyone that you are from another time period. I will send you to Cair Paravel, and you are to say that you are a traveler from Telmar. From there, you must decide on your own what to make of your time there." Aslan breathed upon Caspian, making him disappear. Aslan's breath spread towards the Pevensies, returning the memories of Caspian during the Golden Ages which Aslan had altered so that they would not recognize him when they met him again.

Lucy started giggling, remembering how it went before. The other Pevensies looked amused as well.

"What's so funny?" Trumpkin asked.

"We can now remember what happened before. Caspian … eh… ran into some trouble. Almost instantly," Lucy giggled. "And then there was a bunch of stuff that confused us so much then that make perfect sense now."

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

I fell to the ground after Aslan breathed upon me. I could hardly believe I was getting this opportunity. It was dark out though. I looked around and saw the outline castle in the distance. It had to be Cair Paravel. I headed towards it, worriedly thinking through what I would say to Peter and the others.

"Hello there! I don't think I know you?" a voice called. I turned and saw some human, a commoner by the way he was dressed. He had an accent that I couldn't quite place. It was rather similar to the Pevensies' accent, but not quite that.

"Hello. My name is Caspian. I am traveling to Cair Paravel," I said.

"Is that so? We can walk there together than," the human said. I nodded, thinking maybe he could give me some information about the time period so I could fit in better.

"Do you work there?" I asked politely.

Oddly, he found that funny and laughed. "I suppose one could say that. Yes, yes I do in fact."

I was a bit confused on why he seemed unsure on whether he worked there or not. Perhaps he was an imbecile of some sort.

"I'm interested in working for Cair Paravel as well. I am…An accomplished knight in my home country." Saying I was a prince of Narnia wouldn't make much sense, but claiming to be an accomplished knight certainly wouldn't hurt.

"Really? I look forward to sparring with you then."

"You know how to sword fight?" I asked dubiously. Were commoners actually trained in sword fighting in the Golden Ages?

"Of course I do," he said, sounding offended.

"You don't look like the type who'd know how to," I said.

"Excuse me?" he said, sounding scandalized. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Sorry, it may just be different here. Does every single Narnian learn to properly sword fight? Where I am from, it's just nobility."

"Who's to say I'm not nobility?" the human said with a smirk. I let out a short laugh. No noble would be caught out in clothes as poor as his. "And where exactly are you from?"

"Telmar. I doubt you know enough geography to have heard of it. It's rather far."

"And I doubt you've been in Narnia before. And you haven't been here long on this trip," the man said as we drew near to Cair Paravel's gates. This assumption annoyed me. Sure I hadn't been in Narnia in this time too long, but I've lived in Narnia my whole life. And was swordfighting really such a big thing here that it would tip him off that I didn't belong?

"What makes you say that?" I challenged."As a matter of fact, I have traveled Narnia a bit."

"I hardly doubt you would have been so impertinent and disrespectful towards me if you had any idea who I am," he said haughtily.

"You can't possibly be so conceited that you think everyone in Narnia knows you," I shot back. Who the heck did he think he was? He was really beginning to annoy me.

"You're going to regret calling me that," he threatened, grabbing me by my collar. I glared back. Seriously? Who does he think he is that he can go around threatening and grabbing people? Sure, I am not a prince here, but I still couldn't let the insult go unpunished. I pushed him off as hard as I could. He seemed to not be expecting me to fight back and almost fell. I was disappointed he didn't.

"Keep your hands off of me," he warned.

"Excuse me? You're the one who grabbed me!" I hissed back.

A centaur who had been guarding at the gate came up to us. "Is there a problem here?"

"Olori, arrest this man," the human said, snapping his fingers.

The centaur raised the torch in his hand to the human's face to see who he was, then suddenly bowed and said, "Of course, Sire." He grabbed me and pulled my arms behind my back. I didn't resist. I had recognized the man's face too. And I knew I was in major trouble.


	2. The Courts of Cair Paravel

**Thanks for the reviews! I went back and changed the first chapter after a few of you said that you found Caspian to be acting a bit too arrogant. Hopefully it reads a bit more in character now. **

**Caspian's POV**

I stared blankly at the cell wall. How was I seriously so bad at getting along with Peter? Both in my normal time and now here, we start out literally fighting each other. Before even knowing the identity of each other. Well, this time he knew my name, but that was meaningless to him. At least this time it wasn't quite as life threatening like our sword fight was about to be…. At least I think not… Peter might not have liked me much, but never after that awful night did he even hint at having me executed, so I highly doubt I'll be executed here. Hopefully. I'm not exactly sure what would happen if I did die while here. I can't imagine the Great Lion would have brought me here simply to die though. But I've made a mess of everything yet again. How am I supposed to learn from them if I am here in a prison cell for Aslan only knows how long?

* * *

**Peter's POV**

"I heard you were in some sort of attack," Susan said briskly, not bothering to knock before entering. She instantly took me into her hands and started looking me over like the mother hen she always was. As always, I pretend to be annoyed by it, but it is nice to have a sister who cares so much.

"I'm fine. Olori came over before anything bad could happen."

"So what did happen?" she asked sternly. I filled her in on the details. She sighed.

"Peter, you really need to reign in your temper."

"What?!"

"Was anything he said really that bad that it warranted a night in the dungeons? He seemed mostly confused to me."

"I didn't imprison him for what he said. He's there because he began to attack me."

"After you grabbed him. I'm not saying that what he did was right, just that I expected you to behave more maturely." She gave me a disapproving look that reminded me so much of our mother. I sighed and capitulated.

"I'll let him out first thing in the morning," I promised. That seemed to satisfy her.

"So where were you anyways? Especially dressed like that? And you better have not be alone!"

"Yes mother!" I exclaimed sarcastically. "I had a few hawks trailing me above in the air. I wanted to surreptitiously check out some reports of minotaurs in the village."

"And?"

"And wearing normal clothes didn't help me. Other than that Telmarine, everyone recognized me and of course acted completely different than how they would normally," I said, running my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"Well, you're human. That quickly narrows down who you might be. Perhaps send a faun or such that you can trust next time."

"Yeah, I would've preferred to do it myself though."

"You can't do everything by yourself. And, back to the Telmarine, if you were dressed in hopes that people would not recognize you, you can't exactly blame him for not recognizing you," Susan said sternly.

"How come you're never on my side?" I groaned.

"I'm always on your side," she protested. "I'm always the one keeping you from doing things you'd later regret." I gave her an annoyed look, not because she was wrong but rather because she was annoyingly right. She just laughed and rustled my hair.

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

"Does thou know for what crime we have called thee thus into our presence?" Peter called down to the prisoner from on his throne in what I call his "throne room voice." The trial was mainly for show however, since unless the Telamarine acted in such a way as to change our mind, his punishment had been set.

"Yes, your majesty," the Telmarine mumbled, bowing low. He looked absolutely terrified. He looked to be about the same age as Edmund and reminded me so much of how terrified my brother was after returning from the Witch's grasp. I felt so sorry for the Telmarine boy. What horrible stories do they tell of us in Telmar that made him so afraid of us?

"Art thou aware thy life is forfeit for daring to raise a hand against his majesty?" Mr. Rignas, one of the fauns said. I frowned, remembering other times that this faun was quick to condemn outsiders. Although I absolutely love Narnians, I also care about foreigners. And racism and xenophobia had no place in a courtroom, but I found it far too often in Narnia's courts. Even within my own family, I sometimes saw my family being quick to write off Calormens as all being the same, although Susan was civil about giving all the Tarkaan suitors a chance. Unfortunately for this boy, Telmarines only had a step above Calormens in being liked by Narnians.

"Yes…sir," the Telmarine said uncertainly, still staring at the ground. If he had looked up I would have given him a small smile to make him feel more comfortable. The presence of creatures that do not exist in Telmar must have been making him even more uncomfortable.

"From the intelligence we have of the occurrence, we surmised thou didst not recognize my royal brother, the High King," Susan said, more to remind the Narnians than it was for the boy's sake. "Is it so?"

"Yes, your majesty," he said, turning slightly to bow directly at her.

"Then thy actions should not be construed as an insult to the crown of Narnia," Susan stated firmly. I backed up my sister with a nod and smile.

"Thank you, your majesty," he murmured. He was staring at her in a way that made me feel rather uncomfortable. It was as if he knew her and cared for her greatly, but Susan only had a few Telmarine suitors, and I was almost certain he was not one of them. My brothers had noticed too and did not seem happy about it.

"Telmarine, does thou have a defense for thine actions?" Edmund asked redirecting the trial and Caspian's attention.

"No, your majesty. I will happily accept whatever punishment your majesties see fit," he said. We were all a bit surprised at how agreeable – overly agreeable – he was. Usually foreigners tried to weasel out by claiming they didn't understand our laws, were protected by their home country, etc.

"Thy willingness to follow our pleasure behooves us to give thee a lighter sentence," Peter said. Caspian glanced up for the first time, a look of relief on his face. "Here is our sentence for thee: No further punishment than the night thou hast already spent in our dungeons. Speak now if thou requires any assistance in thy immediate departure from our courts."

We were surprised that rather than acting relieved, the Telmarine looked absolutely terrified, perhaps even more so than before.

"No, your majesty, please, allow me to stay here," he begged, falling to his knees and holding his arms out towards us desperately. The four of us exchanged confused looks.

"For what intent and purpose does thou wish to remain in our domain, Telmarine?" Edmund asked a bit suspiciously.

"I merely wish to humbly beg your majesties for a job," Caspian said. I could tell that my siblings were suspicious, but I thought he was just excited to be here. After all, who wouldn't want to stay in Narnia? Especially Cair Paravel!

"What makes you think their majesties give employment to Telmarines?" a black dwarf named Rikabin snarled. Caspian tensed.

"Peace, cousin dwarf. Racist judgments have no place in our courts," I said with a slight frown. I was relieved to see Peter nodding his assent to that comment.

"My royal sister speaks rightly. Caspian, thou mayst remain here if thou is able to secure employment within the fortnight. Else we shall push thee out," Peter said, in a tone of voice which clarified that this was his final decision. I could tell several Narnians seemed unhappy, but said nothing, especially since Ed, Su, and I were nodding to show we were in accordance with our brother.

A few days later when I had free time, I asked after the boy, and was told he was currently in the kitchens, begging Ms. Plummia, our head chief, for a job there.

"Caspian," I greeted him.

"Your majesty," he said, bowing. I giggled to ease the tension.

"No need for such formalities! In case you didn't figure it out earlier, I'm Lucy."

"It is indeed a pleasure to be graced with your presence, Lucy," he said, smiling for the first time.

"I fear that my brother mainly gave you false hope by saying that you may stay if you find employment. Few Narnians take kindly to foreigners, and the Telmarines we have entertained before here at Cair Paravel have not been as nice as you. It is no fault of your own, but of others from your country that you have had such difficulty finding a job."

"I'm glad you think I am nice and not like some of the others from my country, Lu. Do you have any advice on how I might find employment here?" I was a bit surprised that he went from using my title almost straight into calling me by my nickname. It was almost a bit too familiar.

"I fear it may be better for you to begin preparing for a return trip home," I said sadly, not wanting to give the boy false hope.

"Please, Lu, can you help me? Surely there is something you can do? You are their queen, after all," he said earnestly. He then seemed to realize what he was asking and backtracked a bit. "My apologies, your majesty for my being too presumptuous. I merely beg for your mercy and your lovely assistance in my endeavor to seek any possible employment at Cair Paravel."

I giggled. He was being a bit over-the-top about it. "I'll do what I can. But contrary to what many may think, we do not command every little thing that happens. The head of each section of the castle makes their decisions about who to hire. I could put in a good word for you though."

"Any little thing you can do to aid me will be received gratefully," he said with a short bow.

"I don't want to get your hopes to high, but there's someone I have significant influence over who I might be able to convince to give you employment, but I can't guarantee it," I said with a grin.

"Might I ask who this person is and what sort of employment this may be?" he asked.

"You'll see. I'm not entirely sure you will enjoy this particular employment though," I said, mostly to tease him, but it could be true.

"Just being under Cair Paravel's walls would be pleasure alone," he said gallantly. I was finding that I was liking him more and more.

"Mmhmm."


	3. Seeking Employment

**Lucy's POV**

"Peter, can you help Caspian with finding a job? I think he's a good person and deserves to stay at Cair Paravel," I said, sticking out my lower lip a bit in a pout. As I expected, my pout was enough to drag him away from whatever it is he was writing.

"You think everyone's a good person," Peter sighed. He smiled, pinching my cheek fondly.

"Is that so bad?" I protested. "Anyways, at least give the boy a decent chance! I'm almost absolutely sure that you would have even let him try to become a knight if he had been from Archenland or Lone Islands!"

Peter looked angry when I said that. "Lu! Why do you even care so much? And I can't let him just stay at Cair Paravel indefinitely without him working."

"Then… give him a job," I said, patting his arm and giving him my adorable smile which I know he can't resist.

"Lu…" he complained, already giving in.

"Peter, pleeeease. I can't hire a male servant to work for me, but you can," I said with an eager smile.

"I'll interview him," Peter sighed. "But no guarantees, Lu."

"Thank you, Petey!" I exclaimed, giving him a big hug. Sometimes, like when they were overprotective of me, I would wish they would stop seeing me as their baby sister, but in moments like this, I was glad that my dimples and smile could talk them into anything.

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

I was getting stressed. The time Peter had given me to find employment was half gone. I contemplated trying to ask Peter for more time, but from what I knew of him, it didn't seem like that was likely to go well. But I couldn't leave them! They were the reason I chose to come to the Golden Ages. Especially Susan. It seemed impossible that she could grow even more beautiful than when I first saw her, and yet in the Throne Room the sight of how much more beautiful she had grown took my breath away anyways. She was the epitome of beauty. No wonder songs and poems of her beauty survived over a thousand years later.

"Caspian!" a voice called out, sing song.

"Lucy!" I said, faking cheerfulness. The faun next to her frowned at my familiarity, even though Lucy seemed delighted. Nonetheless, I felt it best not to aggravate the faun, whoever he may be. "I mean, your majesty. My apologies."

"Caspian! I told you to say my name!" Lucy said, mocking sternness. I chuckled. She was adorable. "This is Mr. Tumnus."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Tumnus," I said with a bow. The name was familiar. Professor Cornelius had mentioned he was a loyal friend to the Pevensies, Lucy especially. I think he was involved in the story about the White Witch too, but I wasn't entirely sure.

"You too, Caspian," he said with a courteous nod. I was relieved that he used my name, not Telmarine or Human to address me. Perhaps he would be a friend after all.

"Anyways, I came to tell you that I got you an interview for a job," she said.

"Um, an interview?" I asked eagerly. It must be a good position if it required an interview beforehand.

"With…. Peter!" she said, with an exaggerated smile. My face fell. There was almost no chance that _he_ would hire me. And even if he did, I've already seen beforehand how poorly Peter and I worked together. Granted, we pulled it together in the end, but it wasn't easy.

"I…. I … don't know what to say," I said truthfully.

"You can thank me once you get the job working for him," Lucy said with a giggle. "C'mon, he said for you to come to him by and by."

I followed her silently, my mind swirling with questions and fears. When we arrived outside of a room, she turned and surprised me with a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck!"

"Thank you, Lu," I said with a half hearted smile.

She leaned and whispered, "I really hope you get the job!" She turned and left. I knocked at the door.

I was surprised to hear Edmund's voice call, "Who is it?"

"Caspian, your majesty," I called back.

I heard some talking inside which I could make out, then Peter called out, "Enter." I slowly pushed the door open. I bowed and took a moment to take in the scene in front of me. Peter still looked more kingly than when I knew him, but lacked the… magnificence… that he exuded when in his Throne Room. Edmund looked more relaxed than I had ever seen him. He wasn't just some kid in Peter's shadow, but he wasn't as forceful a presence as he was in the Throne Room. He was leaning back in his chair and playing with a dagger in his hand. A wolf was lying lazily by his chair, looking at me suspiciously.

"Edmund entered to speak with me soon after Lucy left," Peter explained. "And since he is here, he will be staying. But Oksa, Aranch, please leave us." He pointed at the wolf as he said Oksa, and then at Edmund when he said Aranch. I was confused by whom Peter was referring to when he pointed at Edmund. Then I noticed a spider crawling down Edmund's arm and involuntarily shivered.

Peter noticed me shivered and frowned. "As Kings of Narnia, we are friends to all Talking Animals, spiders included. We do not take kindly to those who do not accept certain types of talking creatures."

His implication was clear. I inclined my head. "Of course, your majesty. I'll admit it took me by surprise, but I have nothing against spiders or wolves and hope to someday be acquainted with Lord Aranch and Lady Oksa."

Edmund and Peter looked surprised by my words, but happily so. I was relieved that for once I had said the right thing. Peter pointed to a chair and said, "Please pull up a chair and sit."

I was surprised at his politeness. After all, he was never so polite to me when I was a prince. Why was he now so polite when I was just some random person? I nodded and went to get the chair and sit. I tapped my foot against the ground nervously.

"You must understand, we cannot simply hire a foreigner without knowing your background," Peter began. I wondered if "we" meant Edmund and him were considering hiring me together or if Peter was using the royal we.

"Of course, Sire."

"Then tell us," Edmund said, gesturing for me to speak. This wasn't good. I could not tell them I was from the future. But if I forgot my story and they later realized I had lied to them, I could be executed. I decided on telling a version of the truth.

"I…. my father died when I was but a young boy. My aunt and uncle begrudgingly took me in. I could tell they did not want me around, so I eventually left to seek my fortune elsewhere."

"Why Narnia? Did you try other countries first? I ask this because most humans prefer not to consort with Talking Animals, so it is rather unusual to have a human seek employment here."

"I…. I had a nurse who would tell me stories about Narnia. And when she left, I had a professor who gave me lessons about this country. I..I've always wanted to meet Narnians. This is the first place I came to," I said, rather proud that almost nothing I said was a lie.

"So you would not feel uncomfortable around creatures that are not humans?" Peter asked sternly. I almost wanted to laugh, after having spent so much time living with Talking Animals, but I couldn't tell him that.

"No, your majesty. In fact, when I was little I used to talk to animals I met in hope that there may be some Talking Animals there. It is rather exciting to finally meet actual Talking Animals, even if they despise me for being human," I said earnestly. Peter looked pleased with what I was saying. I was relieved that it seemed that I was finally saying the right things. For once.

"Ed? You're usually the best judge of character? What do you think?" Peter said, addressing his brother. I turned and noticed Edmund looked a bit unsure.

"There is but one question yet to ask, which will decide what we think of you. Be wary, Caspian, for we will absolutely know if you are lying about this," he said.

"Of course, your majesty," I said. I got a bit nervous about what the question might be. Edmund looked so serious. And it was very possible I may have no choice but to lie depending on what he asked.


	4. Two Queens

**Lucy's POV **

I was going insane from all my work! I simply had to take a break. I went out to the gardens where a few of my friends were playing an Archenland game involving hoops and sticks.

"Lucy! Lucy!" the fawn Alyss, one of my dearest friends, called. "Who's the new boy we've been seeing around? With the dark hair, cute accent, looks like he's about Edmund's age."

"His name's Caspian. He's trying to find a job here at Cair Paravel," I explained.

"He's gorgeous," one of the dryads said dreamily.

"Well, I suppose he is a bit good looking," I said.

"You're blushing!" Alyss said in delight. "You like him!"

"Do not!" I said, feeling my face turn red. "I mean, yeah as a friend, not like, _like_ him."

"Do too! Do too!" a handful of my friends said.

"He's nice… and decent looking… I guess… but I'm not interested in him like that!" I protested.

* * *

**Edmund's POV**

I liked this boy well enough, for a Telmarine that is. And he seemed to be rather okay with the idea of Talking Animals. Although I felt like there was something strange going on. Like he was leaving out some important detail. But I couldn't put my finger on it. But there was still one possible problem which I could ask about: Aslan. He probably has never heard of Aslan, so I'm okay with that, but he had to be open to the idea of him and be able to accept him as the true king.

I leaned forward, and simply said his name: "Aslan."

To my and Peter's surprise, he nodded and said, "What about him?"

"So you know about him?" Peter asked, startled.

"Like I said, my nurse and professor told me stories," he said.

"They know quite a lot about us then," I said, a bit disturbed by how detailed the stories these unknown foreigners were telling were.

"Ah… I think my professor might be part dwarf," he said. Peter looked at me, unsure of what to do.

I leaned towards my brother and whispered, "It's possible. Many who were against the Witch's rule left Narnia for freedom and safety."

"So what do you think of Aslan? Do you believe in him and his goodness?" Peter asked the Telmarine.

"Absolutely. With all my heart," Caspian said passionately. No one would speak that fervently unless they were a Narnian or….

"Have you met him?" I asked.

The boy looked hesitant to answer. Peter shifted to lean in, waiting expectantly for an answer. Caspian slowly nodded. "Yes, sire. He helped me on my way here."

"Indeed? Then why did you not say so earlier?!" Peter exclaimed eagerly, halfway out of his chair.

"I did not think you would believe me," Caspian said hesitantly.

"We would know if you had lied to us about Aslan," I said. "But no matter now. Did he give you any sort of instruction or advice? Any warnings about danger to come?"

He shook his head no. "I believe the reason he sent me was an answer to my prayers, not for a particular purpose."

"Nay, for nothing Aslan does is without a purpose," I said. "What were your prayers?"

He looked startled by the question. I leaned forward and said, "We are sorry to intrude on something so private, but we must know."

"Yes, sire. They were merely that I could learn to live the way of a Narnian. I never fit in with my people the way I should have. The stories I heard of Narnia, they felt right. Like I would finally find a place to call home there," he said, growing more and more passionate by the moment. "And Cair Paravel is at the heart of Narnia, and I want very much to stay here."

"Caspian, is there anything else you wish to tell us about before we make our decision? Especially anything that may cause problems later on?" Peter asked. I narrowed my eyes. He must have noticed the same strange vibe I had gotten earlier in the interview.

"No, sire."

"I would like to confer with my brother before making my decision. Caspian, please step outside for a moment," Peter instructed. Caspian looked worried, but silently bowed and left.

"So, brother, what did you want to talk about? You worried about him?" I said, leaning back in my chair lazily, now that it was just the two of us.

"Not sure. He seemed sincere about wanting to be in Narnia and believing in Aslan, but…"

"But?" I pressed, guessing at what he was saying.

"Did something just feel… I dunno… off?" Peter asked.

I nodded. "I'm not sure what though. Like you said, his love of Narnia and Aslan seemed sincere, but there was something… strange. I thought perhaps there was some secret he was not telling us."

"We could try asking him, but he would most likely deny that he is hiding anything," Peter mused, rubbing his chin. "But I don't sense any danger from him."

"Neither do I, but that doesn't mean there isn't. And any danger doesn't necessarily come from him. It may be he has fled from some danger, or has some secret that he is ashamed of."

"But if he doesn't tell us, we have no clue if his secret puts Cair Paravel at risk or not," Peter said with a frown. "But then again, he may be completely innocent, and the secret is nothing we need to be bothered with. Ed? What do you think?"

"It's your decision," I said with a shrug. "I'm not the one interested in hiring him."

"Neither am I. Lucy put me up to it," Peter groaned.

"Well, then you'll just have to or Lu will hate you forever," I joked. "Seriously, though. It's entirely your decision. I told you what I thought of the interview, now it's up to you."

"Alright," Peter said, making up his mind. He crossed to the door and opened it. "Caspian, come in."

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

I began pacing back and forth outside in the hallway. I was starting to think I might have a decent chance at this after all. It seemed to go fairly well. But what was it Peter felt he needed to talk over with Edmund?

"And who is this?" a booming voice asked. I looked up and saw a stranger. A human. And on his arm was Susan, breathtakingly beautiful. My blood started boiling up at the idea of Susan being with another. I should've known. The legends all talk about how the rulers of many other countries fought for her hand. But she rebuffed all of them right? So maybe when she was between suitors I would have my chance with her.

"You, you're the boy who was on trial the other day, are you not?" Susan asked, removing her arm from the man's. I felt my heart get slightly lighter as she pulled away from him to direct her attentions to me.

"Yes, your majesty," I said.

"On trial? For what?" the man said, narrowing his eyes at me as though I was a threat and moving his hand to his sword.

"Oh, calm down, Donovan. It was nothing. Let us be on our way," Susan said with wave of her hand. She pulled the man, who was still eying me with suspicion along with her. But I didn't want her to just leave.

"Wait, Susan!" I called. She and the man both turned around incredulously.

"Excuse me?" Susan said, sounding displeased. I quickly racked my brain, and then realized that I had slipped into acting as though we were friends and forgot to say her title.

"My apologies, your majesty," I said, bowing low.

"That's more like it," Donovan growled. His hand twitched towards his sword. "Queen Susan, would you like me to make sure this _boy_ has learned his lesson?"

"Donovan! Absolutely not! But we should go along our way. Avaline is waiting for us," Susan said, tugging him along with her. I watched longingly as they left. Susan didn't even look back at me once. I leaned against the wall and let my body drop a little. I had hoped that returning would give me a chance to spend some time with her. But she hardly paid attention to me. And I managed to insult her, although thankfully she was much calmer about it than Peter had been that first night. Although it looks like Peter's moved on from my accidentally pushing him, so maybe Susan'll get over my insult quickly and then I'll have a chance with her again. After all, if she was interested in me earlier – or later seeing as that is now the future – then it's likely she'll like me now. Right?

I heard the door open and Peter was standing there. I tried to read his expression, but it was rather impassive. He simply said, "Caspian, come in."


	5. First Day on the Job

**Caspian's POV**

I knelt apprehensively before the two kings, anxiously awaiting their judgment. Peter signaled for me to instead take a seat. "My kings?" I asked, too nervous to wait any longer.

"I hope you understand why we are a bit hesitant about you," Peter began.

My face flushed as I bowed my head and said bitterly, "Of course, your majesty." This sounded very much like a rejection, but I could not thing of anything left unsaid that could change their minds.

"But we have decided to give you a chance to prove yourself. I will hire you as my personal servant, but on probation. The first sign of trouble, you will be asked to leave," Peter said sternly. My heart soared. I was going to be able to stay at Cair Paravel! Unfortunately it was only as a lowly servant, but being by Peter's side would certainly help me learn about being a king… and give me time to spend with Queen Susan.

"Thank you, your majesty! You won't regret it, I swear," I exclaimed. Edmund looked like he was trying to hide amusement at my excitement.

"I'll send word to Susan to have the staff prepare a room for you, as you will be living here. In addition to us providing a living space and food, your wages will be 5 Lions each fortnight. Any questions?"

"When can I begin?"

"Straightaway," Peter said, sounding pleased by my words. "Tonight at dinner, you will have to take an oath of loyalty to Narnia. Before that though, Lucy offered to show you around the castle if you got the job, so once she's available, she'll be showing you around. For now, do you know where the armory is?"

"I think so…" I said.

"Fantastic. You can start polishing my armor until Lucy sends someone to fetch you. You do know how to do that, right?" he said absentmindedly, waving his hand in dismissal. He was already looking busily at some report or another on his desk, Edmund leaning in to look over his shoulder. I swallowed hard. How was I supposed to learn how to be a king if Peter gave me such basic, lowly jobs and commanded me away from him? It seemed I was not to be trusted with anything important. How I wish I could tell them my true identity. Or about how I helped save the Narnians. Perhaps then I could at least get a bit of respect. But I can't defy Aslan, even if there was a chance they'd believe my claim to be from the future.

"That was a dismissal, Caspian," Edmund said sternly, an eyebrow raised. I realized I had been lingering far too long. I clenched my teeth and bowed my way out. I could hear them beginning to talk about whatever the papers they were looking over were about, already forgetting about me. After all, I didn't matter to them, just some servant they took on as a charity case because I couldn't find any other work here. I found my way down to the armory. A dwarf was in front of armory and gave me a suspicious look as I walked up. I recognized him from some of my attempts to find work.

"You again. You're not back to beg for work _again_, are you?" he said exasperatedly. I racked my brain, trying to remember his name. Thorn-… thorn- something. I guess I'll just use sir and hope he's not some higher rank.

"No sir. The High King has hired me and my first assignment is to polish his armor," I said, gritting my teeth. The dwarf looked displeased with my answer, but after dealing with Nikabrik and Trumpkin, I wasn't sure if he was really displeased or if it was normal dwarf grumpiness. Thankfully, he let me in without any further trouble.

"The High King's things are over there. You'll find everything you need for polishing over there. You do know how to polish, right?" he said grumpily. I nodded. Thankfully, my swordmaster had thought it important that I learn every aspect of swordfighting, including how to polish, so I did know. And Narnian armor was similar enough to Telmarine armor. I sat down on a bench and began polishing angrily. If Aslan was here, I would ask him to bring me back to my own time. This wasn't worth it. I was learning nothing, spending almost no time with them, and Susan barely looked at me. But as usual, Aslan only acts in his own, generally rather inconvenient time. I supposed I shouldn't have thought that. Most likely he didn't act earlier in the battle because we lost faith, but still. If he had only acted sooner many Narnian lives would have been saved.

After about an hour of mindless, tedious work, a naiad came for me. I stood in case she was someone important and found myself staring at her. I had gotten used to other Narnian creatures by now, but since the rivers and trees were asleep, I had yet to meet a naiad.

"Are you Caspian?" she said, twisting her watery hair and smiling at me.

"Yes… milady," I said, unsure how to address her. None of the Narnian I had met in my own time had titles, but they lived in exile in the woods, not in a castle, so who knew what titles and protocol I had to deal with now. Thankfully, the naiad just smiled.

"I'm Dalia, one of Queen Lucy's ladies-in-waiting. She sent me to fetch you," she said, extending a hand. I took it, kissing her hand. She giggled and played with her hair some more. She led me to one of Lucy's rooms, where she was talking to that faun again.

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

Mr. Tumnus and I were trying to piece together past Narnian history that the White Witch had destroyed. While the outcome of our work certainly would be interesting, the actual work is much more dull that I thought it would be when I told Susan we would work on it. I finally gave up for the day and sent one of my ladies-in-waiting to fetch Caspian. She returned, a giggly mess. I could hardly blame her though. Caspian had this delightful

"Caspian!" I exclaimed cheerfully, jumping to my feet. He grinned and bowed in an overly dramatic way, making me giggle. I walked over and took his strong hands into my own. "I've been looking forward to this ever since Peter told me he had hired you. Touring the castle is _so_ much more interesting than all this boring work Mr. Tumnus and I have been working on."

"I looked forward to it as well," he said with a smile. He was rather quiet as I showed him around the castle. Surprisingly, he did not react to the assortment of Talking Animals and other creatures which I stopped to talk to and treated them respectfully. It was almost as if he was already used to them, which is unusual who had been her for such a short amount of time.

"Susan! Guess what? Peter hired Caspian and I'm showing him around," I said cheerfully when we passed my sister. He suddenly straightened up and gaped at her. I bit my lip. Of course she would catch his interest. It's always her that catches all the men.

"That's nice to know," Susan said, a bit coldly. I frowned, wondering what Caspian had done to earn her disdain so quickly. He hadn't tried making advances to her already? If so, Peter would be furious when he found out!

"Your majesty," he said, genuflecting before her. Unlike the exaggerated bow he gave me, it seemed like he wasn't trying for humor here, but was rather worried about appeasing her after whatever it was that made her dislike him

"Caspian," she said, acknowledging Caspian with a small nod and gesturing for him to rise. She quickly turned her attention back to me. "Lucy, be sure to be finished with this before court tonight. We're going to have a tight schedule, so please don't be late."

"Oh! Right!" I exclaimed. I had almost forgotten. "Well, let's hurry along then. I still have a lot to show you, Cas."

"Caspian, when Lucy's done showing you around, return to Peter and make sure he'd ready for court and dinner afterwards in time. And make sure he dresses nicely, no matter how much he might whine about it. Ask Sergus if you have any questions," she instructed.

I leaned towards Caspian and mock-whispered, "And he _will _whine and complain. A lot."

Susan rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was amused by my comment. "Well, I shall see you both later."

Caspian turned to me after she left, "Sergus?"

"Sergus is a faun who often helps Peter dress and such since Peter's previously refused having a personal servant."

"Really?" he said in surprise.

"Yeah. He'll go through the motions and interview potential candidates and such, but always says he's not interested. Personally, I think he just hates the idea of relying on someone. He always wants to do everything by himself when he can."

Caspian nodded thoughtfully. I wondered how he had managed to come to that conclusion so fast.

"But… he agreed to hire me…"

"He can't resist giving me what I want," I smirked. It seriously was a good thing I had scruples, otherwise this could have been disastrous for Narnia. "And…I think he felt guilty about overreacting and throwing you in prison."

"Everyone else seems to think he went easy on me," Caspian commented. I studied his face. It was mostly impassive, but his eyes betrayed him. I could tell he had probably faced a lot of racism against him this past week.

"None of the four of us think so," I said as gently as I could, placing my hand on his shoulder. He reached for it and took it into his. I felt my heart pound faster, wondering what he was going to do.

"I still don't think your brothers trust me," he commented bitterly. I pulled my hand from his, for some reason annoyed that he would bring up my brothers.

"They have to. I wish we could just trust everyone, but they're right when they tell me I need to stop thinking that everyone has good intentions. But I definitely think you can be trusted, even if they don't," I responded.

"And… do you think your brother is going to dislike having me as a servant? Since he only did it for you and from guilt?" he asked nervously.

" Well…. I also think he's a bit lonely," I said, lowering my voice. Hopefully anyone who might be nearby would understand that I meant for this to not reach Peter's ears.

"Lonely?"

"As High King, it's really hard for him to make friends rather than just subjects," I explained. Caspian nodded as though he understood, which made absolutely no sense. It's possible he had some sort of title back in Telmar, but then why would he not tell us that so we would have to give him a proper greeting as nobility rather than working for Peter? I frowned and continued. "He has us, but sometimes people need friends who aren't family. Susan and I both have our ladies-in-waiting who are our good friends. Edmund has Phillip, but Peter doesn't really have a close friend."

"Who's Phillip? Edmund's servant?"

"No, Phillip's a horse. Even though Talking Horses are not to be ridden in anything less than battle or other extreme situations, the two of the have such a connection that they feel comfortable riding together anytime."

"I see… And you think I could help Pe-the High King not be so lonely?" he asked quizzically.

"Well… I figured if you're always going to be around him, you could be his friend! You'll do that, will you? Please?" I asked eagerly. He seemed a bit amused by my eagerness, but he nodded.

"I'll try my best. But I fear he will only think of me as a servant. After he hired me, he barely paid attention to me," he said.

"He was probably busy. He's always busy. But you'll be spending plenty of time with him. And maybe you can help remind him sometimes to take a break and relax," I said with a giggle. "But you should head back to him now to help him get ready for tonight."

When we reached the hallway by Peter's office, I paused. "Well, goodbye."

"Goodbye," he said, taking my hand a kissing it. I wrapped my fingers around his to pull him in and gave him a hug. He hugged me back after a second's hesitation.

* * *

**Peter's POV**

I was annoyed when my new servant came back and told me that Susan had instructed him to have me begin preparing for court and dinner tonight. I suppose though that dressing me would be one of his jobs. But he really seemed unsure what to do. Sergus had to come in and show him. Seriously, how hard could it be to dress someone? I was already starting to regret hiring him without first checking that he could do basic tasks. Hopefully he didn't manage to somehow damage my armor when polishing it. After I was dressed an such, I instructed Caspian to help me pack my notes and such that I was going to bring to court with me.

"Why does it matter that minotaurs are in the village?" he asked, picking up a paper of other notes.

I scowled, but it was lost on him as he was still looking at the report. "I did not ask you to look through that stack of papers. And I don't have the time to explain what minotaurs are to you."

"I know what minotaurs are," he said, sounding offended. I raised an eyebrow. It was getting worrisome, how informed this Telmarine was about Narnians. If the Telmarine lords and king were also this informed, then we would have no advantage of surprise if war should occur.

"Then you would understand how dangerous they are, and therefore shouldn't be anywhere near civilization," I said curtly.

"Not all of them are bad," he protested. I turned to him slowly and stalked over. I slapped my hand down on the report so that he would stop staring at it and pay attention to me.

"Y… your majesty?" he asked nervously, backing up a bit.

"What exactly do you know about minotaurs? Why do you care so much that you defend them?" I asked suspiciously. He stammered a bit while backing up some more, accidentally knocking over a pile of books.

"Sire… I – It's – I just… I just don't think…. Not all are bad- your majesty–"

I narrowed my eyes and grabbed him by the collar, forcing him to face me as I accused him of treachery so that I could gauge his reaction. "Have you been consorting with our enemies, former allies of the White Witch?!"


	6. A Mischievous Prince

**Caspian's POV**

And again Peter has thrown me in the dungeons. Even longer this time it seems. I've already been in here for about two days or so. It's hard to tell. It's just so unfair! I suppose I did speak out of turn, criticizing his policies about minotaurs, but why must he be so closed minded? All I could think of was the minotaur who gave up his life so us Narnians could escape Miraz' castle. I know for certain that minotaurs must not be evil! But in retrospect, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. After all, when I first saw him, he was about to attack the minotaur. And Trufflehunter had to explain that a "common enemy unites even the oldest of foes." I suppose the minotaurs in the Golden Ages were always the enemy. But I just knew that if they really tried, they could certainly coexist at the very least.

"Caspian?" a soft voice asked.

"Who is it?" I asked warily, slowly standing up.

"Oh, goody. You're awake," Lucy said, bouncing into view. "I've talked to Peter, and he's willing to give you a second chance!"

"Really?" I said, running up to the bars of the cell. Lucy ran straight up to my cell door as well and pulled out a key.

"Yep! I mean… I kinda made a deal with him… so it's not exactly a guarantee… he's going to give you a task, and if you complete it successfully, then you can have your job back," she said slowly, swaying side to side a bit.

"Alright," I said hesitantly. "Thank you. What is the task?"

"Not sure," she said, pouting a little. "Not sure if he's decided yet. But I'm pretty sure it's going to be something hard. But I'll help you!"

"Really, you would do that for me?" I asked. I was liking the youngest queen more every day, even though my heart still belonged to Susan of course. Lucy was just so pleasant, so helpful, so cheery. She hadn't been quite this way during my time… but then again, she was upset over our disbelief in the Great Lion.

"Sure! So, ready to go to Peter?" she said with a grin, pulling a key from somewhere in her pocket.

"I suppose…"

Lucy quickly opened the dungeon door and enveloped me in a warm hug. I chuckled. She was just so loving sometimes.

"You're the best ever, Lu," I said, pinching her cheek. She giggled.

"Come, come. We don't want to make Peter wait," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along after her as she skipped through the dungeons. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. What if someone saw us and got the wrong idea from us holding hands? Especially if Susan found out and then lost any possible interest in me… I quickly tried to tug my hand out of hers. She looked back, seeming a bit hurt, but I covered it by pretending my shoes needed lacing. Thankfully she then suddenly smiled again, flipped her hair over her shoulder and continued on. "Hurry up, slowpoke!"

"Coming, your majesty," I said with an exaggerated bow, making her laugh. I was relieved that whatever annoyance she had at my pulling away from her seemed to be gone so quick. I couldn't afford to lose the only person who seemed to be my friend right now.

"Peter! Peter! PeterPeterPeter!" Lucy said singsong, knocking on his door.

"Come in!" he called back.

"I brought Caspian!" she said, smiling a bit too much. I skulked into the room and lingered by the door. Peter looked annoyed that I was there. This couldn't be good. "So, Pete, have you figured out what task you're going to give him?"

"Yes, I have," Peter said. I could tell immediately from his smug tone that I probably wouldn't like it. "Lu, have you read the mail today yet?"

Lucy looked confused, but accepted the letter Peter handed to her and glanced down at it. "Oh how delightful! I've been hoping Archenland would visit again soon."

"Sire, what does this have to do with me?" I asked.

"So impatient," Peter said disapprovingly, tapping his desk.

I bit my lip and bowed slightly. "My apologies, your majesty." Seriously? Did Peter have to scold me for every little thing? This was ridiculous. But he was the High King, so he could get away with it.

"But what _does_ it have to do with him?" Lucy asked, sitting on the edge of Peter's desk. Of course _she_ he didn't scold for being impatient. Just me.

"Prince Corin of Archenland will be traveling with them. And King Lune asked that we assign a servant to him specifically to keep him out of trouble. Caspian, if Corin doesn't get into even the littlest bit of trouble throughout the fortnight, then I will let you have your job back," Peter said. I thought this sounded like a fairly easy, until I saw Lucy's face.

"But that's impossible!" she protested. I tried to remember any mention of a Prince Corin in myths my Nurse and Professor taught me, but they hadn't told me much about Archenland. I think there was something about him and boxing? How bad could it be?

"Not completely," Peter said lazily. Lucy pouted and he continued sarcastically, "And since Caspian seems to think he knows more than us, maybe he knows how to keep Corin out of trouble."

"No one knows that! It's impossible," Lucy complained. "You're doing this to him on purpose."

"Lu, he's lucky I'm even giving him this chance. Or a job in the first place," Peter said dismissively. I shuffled uncomfortably. I'm right here! No need to talk of me as if I'm not!

"But Peter!"

"Enough Lu!" he said, his patience with her seeming to have ended. He still didn't seem genuinely angry at her though, as he would have been at me much earlier in the conversation. "It's this or he can stay in the dungeons until we officially dismiss him and send him away. And Lu, don't you have visits you were suppose to make today. You should start on that before it ges to dark."

"Yes, Peter," Lucy said dutifully. She gave her brother a kiss on the cheek and the two of them hugged, any argument between them easily forgotten. She skipped off, leaving me alone with Peter, who quickly scowled at me the moment Lucy could no longer see him. I swallowed and looked away. If I was still a prince, I would have met his scowl with one of my own, but I was quickly seeing how precarious my position here was as a complete outsider.

"Your majesty?" I asked tentatively.

"What?" Peter asked brusquely.

"What should I do for now?"

Peter looked at me appraisingly. "I suppose you can temporarily have your job back. _Temporarily._ I have some clothes over there that need to be washed."

I was sure whether to be annoyed over having such a base assignment to do as washing clothes or to be relieved that at least his allowing me to be around him means he doesn't hate me too much.

"Yes, Sire," I said monotone, bowing and walking over to start on it.

* * *

**Susan's POV**

"Caspian, is that you?" I said walking over to the boy. "What are you doing out of the dungeons?"

"Oh! You-your majesty," he stammered, dropping the basket of food he was carrying. He blushed in embarrassment and bowed low.

"You haven't answered my question," I prodded.

"I- Lucy – I mean Queen Lucy – um, her majesty let me out two days ago," he fumbled.

I frowned. "Does Peter know?"

"Yeah- yes, your majesty. It was his orders. He- he's given me a second chance if I keep Cor-Prince Corin out of trouble," he said, still in a low bow. "And he's having me work as his servant still in the meantime."

"I wasn't informed. Well, continue then with your work," I said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" he called. I turned around, a bit annoyed. This wasn't the first time he told me to wait when I turned to leave. Who did he think he was? But I indulged him and lingered a moment.

"Yes?"

"Um… ah… do you believe me?" he said nervously.

"Is there reason I should I not?" I asked sharply.

"I… ah… I just wanted to be sure," he said, fidgeting with the edges of his shirt. I suddenly realized what was actually going on and sighed. Just what I needed. Yet another boy in love with me. Just what I needed. Did he not realize that I had already turned down lords, princes, kings even? And he was too young for me even if he was of an appropriate rank for me to be able to show interest.

"Yes, yes. Now go," I said, a bit rudely to make my point. His eyes widened at my tone and he rushed to grab his basket and move on. I sighed. I really didn't like having to always turn people down. I know Lucy sometimes get a bit jealous of all the attention I get, but I'd rather have the freedom that she has. To not worry that any kindness she shows will be construed as flirting. To not worry that saying yes to a dance means leading on a man. To get close to boys without having friendships destroyed by feelings.

"Susan! There you are!" Lucy said cheerfully, running up to me.

"Lu! Where you looking for me?" I said, quickly smoothing out my face so she would see how annoyed I was and ask.

"Yes, yes! Um… can we talk more privately?" she whispered.

"Sure, of course," I said, linking her arm in mine and heading to a nearby room which was empty other than a badger trying to clean. "Luffiweather, please leave us for a few minutes."

"Of course, your majesties," the badger said, scurrying out.

"Now, what is it, Lu?"

"You're good at getting boys interested in you," she began shyly. I raised an eyebrow. This was knew.

"Generally not intentionally," I said.

"Yeah, well… there's this guy… I think he might like me. And I think I like him too! A lot actually. He's just so nice, and funny too, even though it doesn't seem like it. He only jokes around with me really. But I don't think he realizes that I like him. And I want him to know that if I'm right and he is interested in me, then he can go ahead and court me! But if he doesn't like me, I don't want to embarrass myself by flirting _too_ obviously. Since you always managed to get guys interested without really flirting so I thought you would be a good person to go to," she babbled.

"Wow! I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much about a guy," I said, laughing. "He must be a really great guy if you're talking that much about him. Is it one of those dryad boys I've seen you hang out with?"

"No, he's human," Lucy said. I frowned. There weren't many humans around other than visitors. And right now we only had a few human visitors, only two of which were male. I didn't approve of either of them for my little sister.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Caspian."

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

I was growing impatient and bored. Peter had sent some of us outside to be ready to greet Archenland as soon as they arrived. We had been standing out here for hours, at first just in case they came early and now because they were late. Is it really that important to have people here the exact moment they arrive? Of course Peter and the others couldn't be bothered to wait out here for hours.

"I think that's them," Mr. Tumnus suddenly said. "Swallowpad, fly over and see if you can make out the banner."

When Swallowpad can back he confirmed it was them and Mr. Tumnus rushed inside to find the Pevensies.

"King Lune!" Peter greeted as he and his siblings behind him walked out of Cair Paravels doors, perfectly timed to the Archenlanders' arrival.

"High King Peter! It's been too long," Lune said with a chuckle.

"But where's dear Corin?" Susan asked after also greeting him.

"He's right here…what! Where is that scallawag?" Lune said, looking around. Suddenly we heard a ruckus from one of the carriages. There was a boy and two very, very angry non-talking horses there.

"Corin! Get over here. Jonah, deal with the horses," he instructed, shaking his head. "My apologies for the disturbance, your majesties."

"Oh, it wouldn't be the same if Corin didn't cause at least one disturbance," Susan said with a gentle laugh which Lune joined in heartily.

"Yes, that's my boy," he chuckled. He then grew serious and said, "Corin, apologize."

"I'm very sorry about what I did and promise I will not do so again," the boy said monotone, as if he said it often. From what I had been hearing about him and the scene I just saw, I figured out it must happen fairly often.

"No harm done," Peter said. "King Lune, we selected a servant for Prince Corin as you requested. Caspian!" Peter motioned for me to join him as he called for me. I had to restrain from rolling my eyes at the redundancy. I was literally about a foot away. But I couldn't afford to offend anyone. I bowed to King Lune.

"Excellent, excellent. My apologies in advance for his mischief," King Lune said with a chuckle, pushing the prince forward.

"Caspian, show Prince Corin to his room," Peter instructed. I bowed and lead Corin out, hearing Peter giving other instructions to the other servants about who was to show whom to their respective rooms and such.

"You're human," Corin said.

"Yes, your highness," I said.

"I'm Corin!" he said. I couldn't resist smiling a little.

"In that case, yes, Corin," I said teasingly.

"And you're Cas… Casper?"

"Caspian."

"Caspian! It's nice to meet you. Ooh, can I slide down this railing? It looks like such fun!"

"Um, that probably would get me in trouble," I said.

"But you don't have to do it. Just me," Corin said.

"But I'm supposed to be keeping you out of trouble," I explained. "So I'd get in trouble too."

"Oh. Well, I guess I don't want to get you in trouble You seem nice. Do you want to go boxing? I'm a really good boxer. Peridan says I'm the best he's ever seen," the boy babbled.

"I'm sure you are, but I'd probably get in trouble for that too," I said exasperatedly. We hadn't even gotten to his room and I was already having to stop him from getting in trouble.

"Alright! Ooh! What's this?" he said running ahead.

"Corin!" I yelled. He started looking at some statue and when I shouted his name, turned around fast, a foot flying out and hitting a statue. The statue fell and knocked down about three others, one of them breaking in half. I began panicking. How was I going to get out of this? Well, Corin probably didn't want to get in trouble… maybe if I just ignore it they won't know it was Corin.

"What in the world- Caspian! You're supposed to be controlling him!" Susan said. I gulped. Apparently she had seen the whole thing. And I didn't hold out to much hope of her keeping this from her brother.


End file.
